Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program

Key Facts

Status: Forecasted

Posted date: October 1, 2025

Archive date: January 31, 2026

Close date: December 1, 2025

Opportunity ID: 360682

Opportunity number: RDRUS-26-DWS

Opportunity category: Discretionary

Agency name: Rural Utilities Service

Agency code: USDA-RUS

Award floor: $0

Award ceiling: $0

Cost sharing required: Yes

Funding Instrument Types
  • Grant
Category of Funding Activity
  • Community Development
Eligible Applicants
  • Others
Tools
Categories (use these for quoted searches)
  • agency_code:usda_rus
  • category_of_funding_activity:community_development
  • cost_sharing_or_matching_requirement:true
  • eligible_applicants:others
  • funding_instrument_type:grant
  • opportunity_category:discretionary
  • status:forecasted
Description

The DWS Grant Program has been established to help individuals with low to moderate incomes finance certain costs of household water wells and individually owned decentralized wastewater systems that they own or will own. Grants are made to eligible nonprofit organizations to establish and maintain a revolving fund to provide loans and sub-grants to eligible individuals for individually owned water well systems and/or individually owned wastewater systems. Loan and/or sub-grant funds may be used by the individual to construct, refurbish, rehabilitate, or replace decentralized water well or wastewater systems. For water well systems, funds may be used up to the point of entry to a home, which is the junction where water enters into a home water delivery system after being pumped from a well. For wastewater systems, in lieu of the point of entry, the point of exit is substituted. The point of exit is the junction where wastewater exits out of the home wastewater collection system into the septic tank and drain field. DWS grant funds may be used by the nonprofit recipient to pay administrative expenses associated with providing DWS loans and/or sub-grants.

Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program
The DWS Grant Program has been established to help individuals with low to moderate incomes finance certain costs of household water wells and individually owned decentralized wastewater systems that they own or will own. Grants are made to eligible nonprofit organizations to establish and maintain a revolving fund to provide loans and sub-grants to eligible individuals for individually owned water well systems and/or individually owned wastewater systems. Loan and/or sub-grant funds may be used by the individual to construct, refurbish, rehabilitate, or replace decentralized water well or wastewater systems. For water well systems, funds may be used up to the point of entry to a home, which is the junction where water enters into a home water delivery system after being pumped from a well. For wastewater systems, in lieu of the point of entry, the point of exit is substituted. The point of exit is the junction where wastewater exits out of the home wastewater collection system into the septic tank and drain field. DWS grant funds may be used by the nonprofit recipient to pay administrative expenses associated with providing DWS loans and/or sub-grants.
[Forecasted] Rural Decentralized Water System Grant Program
Forecasted
Rural Utilities Service
Community Development
Grant
Others
2025-10-01